Arthur Wolfswift Artie stood alone in the mess hall above four other boys. He walked over to one of them and reached out a hand. “You alright Todd?” he asked. Todd was a small boy, and a drop of blood trickled from his nose. “Yeah I'm fine.” said Todd. He grabbed Arite's hand and pulled himself up. “And thanks.” Just then a large, older man burst through the door to the mess hall. “What the hell's going on in here?” he yelled. He looked over the scene and muttered, “Goddamn it. Someone clean this up. Wolf!” he pointed at Artie, “Come here.”Artie walked over towards Capt. Brenden with a great deal of apprehension. This wasn't nearly the first time he found himself in trouble, but Artie was always a little afraid of the man. “What did I tell you about fighting?” Artie kept his eyes on the ground, “Save it for the courtyard.” “And what is this?” He looked up, “It's not my fault!, They were picking on Todd. It wasn't fair.” Brenden rubbed his beard slowly and then turned back towards the door. “Come with me.” he said to Artie, “And you,” he pointed to a guard, “see if anyone needs medical attention.” He and Artie left the hall. In a lonely hallway somewhere in the MPDcomplex, Brenden stopped. “It's good that you want to protect your mates, but you have to remember, they are all your mates, even the ones you just beat up.” “But I was just-” “I know, but the only way this works is if where in this together. We've got enough enemies, both out there and in here, to keep us busy. Try to make some friends Wolf, even the biggest asshole can prove a useful ally.” Brenden patted Artie on the shoulder, “And don't go fighting battles that aren't yours.” and walked away.
Arthur stood over Todd's lifeless body. Blood covered his face in a such a way that he didn't even recognize him. Arthur knew he should have felt bad for his friend, but felt more happy about being alive. Not feeling bad enough made Arthur feel worse. Lieutenant Rayce walked over to Arthur. “What are you waiting around for? Todd's dead. He's staying dead.” Rayce didn't bother with compassion, but he did follow orders both efficiently and ruthlessly. Rayce knew nobody liked him, but he didn't care, so long as they feared him. “It was only a matter of time before someone got him.” he smiled, “Gather up their goddamned supplies so we can get the hell out of here.” Arthur walked over to the enemies' encampment and saw their mangled bodies strewn about the ground. Close up they didn't look like threats at all, just a couple of kids, even younger than him, and an old woman. He wondered why they were ordered to attack them in the first place. Arthur managed to scavenge a handful of half-broken weapons and a few meager supplies. As he returned to Rayce with his pitiful spoils, he passed by Todd's body, and couldn't understand why he had to die for this.
Rayce sat on the hood of the truck with a cigar hanging out of his mouth and a pistol in hand. “And what are you going to do to fix it, boy?” he asked Arthur. He had no retort. Arthur caught Rayce coming back from an unauthorized raid on a nearby encampment, and some guards were unloading what they stole from the travelers. “You're Brenden's boy in more ways than one.” Rayce said as he played with his pistol.”You're both still all noble and shit. But all of that crap died with the rest of the world.” Rayce jumped down from the truck and walked towards Arthur. “And Brenden knows that if he got rid of all the bastards in his ranks, he'd have no army. So be like the Captain and just keep your eyes shut. We're all happier that way.” Arthur let Rayce walk by him and muttered, “I could leave.” Rayce laughed and outstretched his arms. “Look around you boy. Where else you gonna go?”
The caravan was destroyed. Bodies of both MPD guards and Horsemen littered the road. Arthur could hear the cries of dying men and horses, but was preoccupied with the gunshot in his thigh. He hoped it didn't hit anything vital, though he still tried to stop the bleeding. Capt. Brenden lay just a few feet from Arthur, already dead. The Horsemen came out of nowhere, and they came in numbers far greater than four. The following firefight was intense and brutal, and only had handful of MPD guards survived, though Arthur couldn't see any at the present moment. From around one of the burning trucks emerged Rayce. He was limping and bleeding from the forehead, yet somehow still had a smirk on his face. He noticed Art on the ground. “You fight good, boy. Glad you're on my side.” He then pointed at Brenden's body, “Sucks for him though.” and he stumbled toward the treeline and unzipped his pants and started to piss. “Where'd you go?” asked Arthur. “I hid. I like killing, boy, not dying.” “You could've protected our left flank with your carbine.” “I could've done a lot of things,” he shook and zipped up his pants, “but I didn't. So?” As Rayce started to meander back towards the road Arthur unholstered Capt. Brenden's side arm. He cocked it, lifted it, and aimed it directly at Rayce. “Hey Rayce.” called Arthur and he turned towards him. A gunshot rang out and a bullet shot though Rayce's neck. Blood started to rush down his chest and his eyes glared at Arthur. Not in pain or shock, but in pure anger. Rayce quickly crumbled to the ground, and died. Arthur dropped the gun in anticipation of someone finding out, but nobody came to investigate. Maybe he was the last survivor. He slowly got to his feet and started to limp down the road. Home was a long way home from here.
Artie stood alone in the mess hall above four other boys. He walked over to one of them and reached out a hand. “You alright Todd?” he asked. Todd was a small boy, and a drop of blood trickled from his nose.
“Yeah I'm fine.” said Todd. He grabbed Arite's hand and pulled himself up. “And thanks.” Just then a large, older man burst through the door to the mess hall.
“What the hell's going on in here?” he yelled. He looked over the scene and muttered, “Goddamn it. Someone clean this up. Wolf!” he pointed at Artie, “Come here.”Artie walked over towards Capt. Brenden with a great deal of apprehension. This wasn't nearly the first time he found himself in trouble, but Artie was always a little afraid of the man. “What did I tell you about fighting?”
Artie kept his eyes on the ground, “Save it for the courtyard.”
“And what is this?”
He looked up, “It's not my fault!, They were picking on Todd. It wasn't fair.”
Brenden rubbed his beard slowly and then turned back towards the door. “Come with me.” he said to Artie, “And you,” he pointed to a guard, “see if anyone needs medical attention.” He and Artie left the hall.
In a lonely hallway somewhere in the MPD complex, Brenden stopped. “It's good that you want to protect your mates, but you have to remember, they are all your mates, even the ones you just beat up.”
“But I was just-”
“I know, but the only way this works is if where in this together. We've got enough enemies, both out there and in here, to keep us busy. Try to make some friends Wolf, even the biggest asshole can prove a useful ally.” Brenden patted Artie on the shoulder, “And don't go fighting battles that aren't yours.” and walked away.
Arthur stood over Todd's lifeless body. Blood covered his face in a such a way that he didn't even recognize him. Arthur knew he should have felt bad for his friend, but felt more happy about being alive. Not feeling bad enough made Arthur feel worse.
Lieutenant Rayce walked over to Arthur. “What are you waiting around for? Todd's dead. He's staying dead.” Rayce didn't bother with compassion, but he did follow orders both efficiently and ruthlessly. Rayce knew nobody liked him, but he didn't care, so long as they feared him. “It was only a matter of time before someone got him.” he smiled, “Gather up their goddamned supplies so we can get the hell out of here.”
Arthur walked over to the enemies' encampment and saw their mangled bodies strewn about the ground. Close up they didn't look like threats at all, just a couple of kids, even younger than him, and an old woman. He wondered why they were ordered to attack them in the first place. Arthur managed to scavenge a handful of half-broken weapons and a few meager supplies. As he returned to Rayce with his pitiful spoils, he passed by Todd's body, and couldn't understand why he had to die for this.
Rayce sat on the hood of the truck with a cigar hanging out of his mouth and a pistol in hand. “And what are you going to do to fix it, boy?” he asked Arthur. He had no retort. Arthur caught Rayce coming back from an unauthorized raid on a nearby encampment, and some guards were unloading what they stole from the travelers. “You're Brenden's boy in more ways than one.” Rayce said as he played with his pistol.”You're both still all noble and shit. But all of that crap died with the rest of the world.”
Rayce jumped down from the truck and walked towards Arthur. “And Brenden knows that if he got rid of all the bastards in his ranks, he'd have no army. So be like the Captain and just keep your eyes shut. We're all happier that way.”
Arthur let Rayce walk by him and muttered, “I could leave.”
Rayce laughed and outstretched his arms. “Look around you boy. Where else you gonna go?”
The caravan was destroyed. Bodies of both MPD guards and Horsemen littered the road. Arthur could hear the cries of dying men and horses, but was preoccupied with the gunshot in his thigh. He hoped it didn't hit anything vital, though he still tried to stop the bleeding.
Capt. Brenden lay just a few feet from Arthur, already dead. The Horsemen came out of nowhere, and they came in numbers far greater than four. The following firefight was intense and brutal, and only had handful of MPD guards survived, though Arthur couldn't see any at the present moment.
From around one of the burning trucks emerged Rayce. He was limping and bleeding from the forehead, yet somehow still had a smirk on his face. He noticed Art on the ground. “You fight good, boy. Glad you're on my side.” He then pointed at Brenden's body, “Sucks for him though.” and he stumbled toward the treeline and unzipped his pants and started to piss.
“Where'd you go?” asked Arthur.
“I hid. I like killing, boy, not dying.”
“You could've protected our left flank with your carbine.”
“I could've done a lot of things,” he shook and zipped up his pants, “but I didn't. So?”
As Rayce started to meander back towards the road Arthur unholstered Capt. Brenden's side arm. He cocked it, lifted it, and aimed it directly at Rayce. “Hey Rayce.” called Arthur and he turned towards him. A gunshot rang out and a bullet shot though Rayce's neck. Blood started to rush down his chest and his eyes glared at Arthur. Not in pain or shock, but in pure anger. Rayce quickly crumbled to the ground, and died.
Arthur dropped the gun in anticipation of someone finding out, but nobody came to investigate. Maybe he was the last survivor. He slowly got to his feet and started to limp down the road. Home was a long way home from here.